Since its inception in 2007, the International Pizza Challenge™ has evolved and grown in stature and in prize money. Last year we added a fifth division: Gluten-Free, and it will return as part of the Challenge in 2015. We also are expanding the fields in each division and recasting the Italian-style part of the competition as the Pizza Napoletana Division and adhering to the STG definitions of acceptable pizzas for that classification.

The five divisions compete Tuesday through Thursday. A maximum of 80 entries will be accepted in the Traditional and Non-Traditional divisions; contestants will be capped at 30 in the Pan and Pizza Napoletana divisions, with 20 in Gluten-Free. The top four prelinary-round scores from the traditional and non-traditional prelims will advance to the division finals on Thursday. Later on Thursday, the division winners of Traditional, Non-Traditional, Pan and Pizza Napoletana will face off in a mystery-ingredient bake-off for Pizza Maker of the Year. A panel of judges assigns scores for each pizza in each round of the Challenge.

Contestants bring their own ingredients, while show management provides refrigeration space, equipment and ovens. Judging panels are composed of impartial chefs, food critics and other pizzeria owners, and they score each pie using the following criteria:

Taste is scored on:

Crust

Sauce, Cheese, Toppings

Overall Taste

Creativity (Non-Traditional and American-Pan divisions only)

Visual Presentation / Appearance is scored on:

Bake

Visual Presentation

"Since winning the Traditional Division in March 2014 I've gained a great deal of local notoriety and recognition. First, I was featured on the morning news at our local NBC affiliate, where I prepared and baked my award-winning pizza in the studio. Then came a radio interview with NPR and a feature on the Internet with Columbus Underground.

Stories about my victory have been published in just about every local printed news outlet. People have driven to my pizzeria from other states to taste my pizza! As I'm reflecting, winning the International Pizza Challenge has translated to, approximately, a 23 percent increase in my business."
Brad Rocco,
Bexley Pizza Plus
Bexley, Ohio

The following pizza artisans have taken home the top prize since the contest began.

2012 American-Pan Winner of $4,000
Shawn Randazzo
Detroit Style Pizza Co.
St. Clair Shores, MIShawn also took home the 2012 Pizza Maker of the Year prize of $5,000 by winning the Mystery-Ingredient Bake-Off.